February 18, 2018

Force Released from Hospital Following Crash

Brittany Force was released from the hospital following an overnight stay after a violent crash at the NHRA season opener Sunday.

Force, 31, is the daughter of NHRA legend John Force and won her first Top Fuel championship last season. She was making her 2018 debut at the Lucas Oil Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., when Force lost control of her dragster during the first round of final eliminations against Terry Haddock. She made contact with both retaining walls, crossing in front of Haddock.

The dragster spun, with its parachute catching the nose and flipping on its side after crashing backward into the right wall. It eventually ended up back on its wheels as it skidded to a stop past the finish line, and a responsive Force was taken to an area hospital as a precaution.

Brittany “shows no lingering effects from the injury except for some upper-body soreness,” John Force Racing said in a statement. A CT scan was negative and an MRI showed “subtle findings likely from previous injuries.”

Force returned home Monday, and tweeted photos from the hospital along with, “Rough start but checkin out w/ only bumps&bruises.ThankU fans,@nhra for prayers.”